Windsor Drive

Windsor Drive’s upcoming album Wanderlust EP is undeniable in its persistence.
It’ll never come right out and say it, but what Windsor Drive really wants is to inspire action.
Sure, every album by every band wants to have an effect on you. It wants to make you feel something, to make you think about something. Windsor Drive is taking it a step further with Wanderlust.
As the name suggests, it wakes you up and takes you somewhere – wherever you want to go.
The short and simple five-song album is the equivalent of a cheery “Good morning!” followed by coffee and an extravagant breakfast – the perfect start to a day.
Each and every song begins and ends clean and strong. The melodies are clear and highlight the album’s uplifting anthem. The vocals are crisp and without falter.
It sounds good, but that isn’t the point.
Windsor Drive doesn’t use this album to perfect a certain sound or create a philosophical discussion with its words.
Sidestepping topical issues, Wanderlust EP delves deeply into your drive and ambition, not your mind. It uses the motion of happy melodies to push you out of bed and into your passions – whatever they may be.
Channeling the essence of wanderlust, the album challenges you to take a risk, open your eyes and take whatever you see.
The idea behind the album is based on a characteristic of society that the band noticed and took offence to.
“Often times people lose sight of who they are and where they want to be,” Windsor Drive stated on its website in an announcement of the upcoming album. “Not everyone can escape that state of mind, so they get comfortable, stop taking risks and no longer pursue the dreams that they held so dear.”
The band has been together releasing music since 2008, and it has spent the last few years touring, including the Vans Warped Tour 2011 and opening for musicians including American Idol Kris Allen and Ryan Cabrera. After a couple years of touring and writing in music cities like New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, Windsor Drive will release its new album on Sept. 25.
The force behind the album inspires spur-of-the-moment risks that make you feel alive. In the process of advocating such action the music also gives off a fervor for life that the listener can’t help but subscribe to.
The sound isn’t forced. It isn’t extreme. It isn’t too hot or too cold – it’s just right. Without too much hype Wanderlust EP gives you just the right amount of pick-me-up and hop in your step.
The band is talented. Its sound is clear and focused. Its arrangements are lively and catchy. Every sound has its place and it all fits together effortlessly.
Wanderlust EP is as lively and contagious as pop music was meant to be.
- Red & Black

Windsor Drive brings the '80s back with flair on their new album Wanderlust. While the band's music has shades of old school grooves, it's presented in an updated form infused with pop rhythms amidst Kipp Wilde’s smooth vocals.

The band tucks in small pockets of wisdom throughout their dancey tunes. Wilde has described “Sleepwalking” as a song addressing the issue of people stuck in an unfulfilled state, unable to “pursue the dreams that they held so dear.” Every aspect of the music is carefully crafted to create the ultimate listening experience. “Impossibly” throws out memorable one-liners like “Let me be your overnight sensation,” and builds on that with psychedelic harmonies. The strong synth lines are enhanced by funk rhythms from the guitar.
Dynamic music that hits on tough issues is hard to find, but Windsor Drive steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the park. If the overwhelming urge to dance doesn’t ignite an interest in this music, then the lyrics will certainly hit a chord. - Flagpole

WANDERLUST-(SELF-RELEASED)-Apparently, the fresh-faced, Wisconsin-based foursome that calls itself Windsor Drive has never met a ballad it didn’t like. And while Windsor Drive is the name of the street where the band has created a lot of its music, there’s definitely an old-school (as in ‘80s/’90s) Brit. synth pop influence. The band’s already generated enough heat to be taken on by producer John Fields (Parachute, Switchfoot) and a writing partner, Bleu, who’s worked with Boys Like Girls and Air Traffic. Even if WD’s sound may be a bit too mainstream for some of Dagger’s readers, there’s no denying the appeal of Kipp Wilde’s sweet tenor, nor that of its well-resolved, pleasant compositions - hey, the title track from its “Bridges” EP even attracted my exacting ears. In other words, it seems inevitable that we’ll end up hearing more of WD, somewhere, somehow –its subject matter is too romantic, and its deliverers too likely to have a wide appeal to tweens and teenagers, for any other result. These kids could give Maroon 5 and the Jonas Brothers a run for some of their millions. www.windsordrivemusic.com MARY LEARY - Dagger Zine

With its fourth EP, the Wausau, Wis., indie pop quarter Windsor Drive gives its friends and fans of what its debut album might sound like. Windsor Drive's 2012 offering Wanderlust opens with "Wish Me Well", a triumphant tune that sounds like it was built to be blasted from sprawling arena-sized stages. Kipp Wilde's soaring inflections hover over a rhythm section that
balances the metronomic mechanics of perfect timing to make for a danceable anthem. And though the following tune, "Sleepwalking," pulses and glows with a fusion of smooth-sailing yacht rock and neo-disco, listen closer and you'll hear Wilde railing against the general apathy and aimlessness characterized by a complacent Generation Y. But rather than point fingers, he encourages young people to get out of their ruts, take risks, and pursue dreams. "I Don't Feel It', floats on a cosmopolitan groove, sounding like the kind of sleek Euro-pop played at fashion shows. "Impossibly" gets a bit darker with brooding, low keyboard tones, with Wilde singing doubled octaves in a sexy Prince-inspired register. - Apple iTunes Store

A lot went into writing your favorite song, but how much do you really know about it? This week Kipp Wilde, vocalist of Wisconsin alt-rock band Windsor Drive, delves into Prince, touring with He Is We and the human condition.
Song: "Sleepwalking"

Album: Wanderlust EP

Release Date: Late August / Early September 2012

When it was written: May 2011

Where it was written: Los Angeles

Favorite line in the song: "Just look how far it's gone, the rights have all been wronged, the simple things we left behind, seem much too far, and for too long."

Which part was the hardest to come up with: The lyrics are always the hardest. I always want to convey a message that makes people think, and these lyrics, which are about how people change with the times, were pretty tricky.

If you could go back and change anything, what would it be: If I could change anything, it would probably be the guitar part on the chorus. I'm not crazy about that style of playing, but I guess it adds to the hook of the song.

Odd fact about song: Originally, I wanted to create something that sounded like Prince's " I Would Die For You," which the intro does have a Prince vibe to it. I dig it.

When was your favorite time performing it live: I would have to say in Salt Lake City (May 30th, 2012) at The Complex Grand Room on our tour with He Is We. The fans were insane. It was amazing. And this song has been a favorite on tour for us and the fans.

What was your inspiration for writing the song: Everything I see around me, people that I've grown up with, all the junk on TV, just noticing how much the world has changed over the last few years and how people interact with one another.

What is the meaning behind the song: The human condition. This song is about how people lose sight of who they are and where they want to be. We all come to a point in our lives when we feel like we're stuck in a rut. Some of us get out, but not everyone can escape that state of mind, so they get comfortable, stop taking risks, and no longer pursue the dreams that they held so dear. But I also think it's about how society has changed and how that affects us. TV and music has changed drastically and that has such a strong impact on us. There is such an overload of information and ways of communication, that people get caught up in all the madness and forget about the simple things in life. - Seattle Weekly

By Greg Lampee

“I want to see you now/ In my darkest hour/When nothing is for real/ Bring back the chance to
feel/ I would like to tell you something/ That you ought to know” - This “something” that I speak
of is my latest lyrical love for the band Windsor Drive; the soulful originators of the
aforementioned lyrics off my newest favored track “FALL”, from their new EP BRIDGES. Windsor
Drive is one band you ought to know!
Windsor Drive, coming off their ninth national summer tour, (which included more than 70 self-
booked engagements and a live gig on Good Morning America), is leading a fast-paced,
conscientious crusade into the core of an austere industry; where one day you’re in, and the
next day you’re out. Wisconsinites themselves, hard work is nothing new to a band that formed
in early 2006 and of its five band members presently sports an average age of 22. Hailing from
Weston, Wisconsin the band is comprised by Kipp Wilde, Vocals/Keys; Dustin Misener, Guitar;
Jon Wasleske, Bass; Dan Sukow, Lead Guitar; and Owen Jones on the drums. I count myself
fortunate enough to personally know Dan Sukow, as he is the only member not originally from
the Weston area, but actually just a bit farther north from my hometown of Tomahawk,
Wisconsin. As chance would have it, while in Appleton for a marathon last weekend, I was able
to sit down and interview his longtime girlfriend and one of my best friends about the band’s
biography and next direction as they are currently residing in Houston, Texas.
Winsor Drive, it sounds a lot like a WB drama, but their edgy name is not an inflated mechanism
of marketing, but it actually derives from the address of the band’s first inception; a home
garage. The guys of Windsor Drive have been compared to U2, Aqua Lung, Cold Play, Ben Folds
and The Fray, but they assure that their sound is a totally different twist on these broad styles.
Quoted as being a “Piano-Bass-Rock” band, it was their ingenious variations of piano, drums, and
guitar that gripped my mind and made my fingers hit replay.
BRIDGES shines with extraordinary, expressive and poetic melodies and lyrics. A steal at $3.99
for the five-track EP on iTunes, the EP boasts production and guidance by Stephen Short
(Augustana, Camera Can’t Lie) and Greg Collins (U2, Matchbox Twenty).
“FALL” is easily, (I’m not being biased, their ratings show it also), the best song to replay over and
over again, but all songs flow so evenly that you may just hit ‘replay entire album’. “FALL” will
have you biting your lip and closing your eyes on the chorus; “Do what you do best / And if the
ground should crumble and fall / When love puts you to the test / Just fall on me, {fall}”. From
the chorus you will suddenly be belting out the lofty bridge to the unpretentious beat; “You can
call me what you’d like / Beat me down ‘til you don’t recognize me / But I will not give up the
fight / Won’t back down, I won’t apologize /… / You still leave me drunk, in love.” - University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse | Raquet

Windsor Drive from Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S is selling their new EP "Under the weather" on tour with Mae and Terrible things. I gave their previous EP "Bridges" a 4 star review here at melodic.net and I begin to feel that it´s rather safe to expect classy music from this alternative pop/rock band because the new songs are wonderful. The first two tracks "Going under" and "Make believe" are the strongest on the EP and I just love the 80´s vibes on these songs, so when can we expect a full length album guys? I am waiting...... - Melodic.Net

Tonight I went to The House of Valdar, one of my new favorite spots to see live music, to check out the band Windsor Drive. They were originally formed in Weston, Wisconsin but now the band resides in Houston, Texas. First off The House of Valdar is not your average venue, it's all ages, it has more of a theater or comedy club atmosphere which I think adds to the experience of checking out a band, it's very relaxed and chilled out. A perfect setting for Windsor Drive, whose music is of a piano driven alternative rock genre. While the style of Windsor Drive is about as close to the border of pop alt rock as it gets for my personal tastes, the sound and emotion that came out of them tonight was simply amazing. Leading up to the show I did a little research and listened to the songs they had online, from the moment they got into the first song it was obvious that was a huge difference for the better in hearing Windsor Drive live. Windsor drive is a four piece band with Kipp Wilde on vocals and keys, Dan Sukow on electric guitar, Jon Wasleske on bass and Owen Jones on Drums. The Sound was great, Kipp's vocals are light, melodic and his lyrics are dramatic and emotional. Kipp's keys are mostly on a natural grand piano sound, switching occasionally to an electric piano. Owen on drums was powerful, his snare drum was louder than a 357. I noticed that they all had click track ear pieces to keep them locked in tempo, but mostly so they didn't get ahead on the sequenced tracks that Jon was controlling on the Mac book while playing bass.

Rhythmically Windsor Drive is very tight so when Dan is playing the telecaster guitar he is layering on melodies soaked in an ambient tunnel of echo that kind of floats over the top of the rhythm that Kipp, Jon, and Owen are putting down. You could tell that Windsor Drive was on a different level, extremely professional, rehearsed and articulate to the sound that they produce. The patrons at the House of Valdar were all mellowed out to the tunes. At the end of the hour long set the crowd brought them up again for an encore. They really didn't have anything in mind to play since they went through their full set, Kipp asked the crowd if there were any requests and to his surprise one patron called out for "Slow Down." Caught a little off guard by that one Dan had to run out to the Van to get the slide for the guitar parts on that song. It really was a great show, and somewhat of a home coming for the Texans that used call Weston their home and Green Bay their back yard. The sound keeps getting better at the House of Valdar and having the occasional pro touring bands coming in and mixing it up with the local bands playing for all ages is just what this town has needed for a long time. I would definitely see Windsor Drive again when they come back through this town. If you happen to miss them you can check them out on myspace. Great music, it was one of those nights where you get in the car, drive home and don't turn on the radio because the music is still swimming around in your head. - Green Bay Night Life

Windsor Drive is moody, but in a good way. The finely crafted indie-pop the band
practices is a bit on the emotional side, but not necessarily mopey. But they do, you
know, feel stuff; their songs have nothing to do with cleverness, hipness or the making
of statements. These are the kind of songs that arise from jotting thoughts and
impressions down in a battered journal that's forever sticking out of the back pocket of
your jeans. Honest and introspective without being cloying or preachy, the lyrics find a
happy mate in mid-tempo arrangements of ever so slightly soaring guitars and keys that
verge on urgent, while singer Kipp Wilde is unafraid of using his full vocal range,
emoting cleanly and without artifice. This is not world-changing music, but it is good
music — a fine backdrop to a relaxed evening, or a nighttime drive when the weather's
decent and the windows are down. - Nicholas Hall | Houston Press

Windsor Drive -- the name sounds like it could be the title of one of those stylized teen dramas
on the CW network, the kind that depicts suburban kids' experiences with fleeting romance and
features girls who are always way hotter than any of those I went to school with. As it turns out,
the moniker is apropos, as Windsor Drive's music would make a fitting soundtrack for such a
program's heart-rending breakup scenes and passionate makeout sequences.
Bridges is a five-track EP that showcases a band that seems bent on achieving stardom. Windsor
Drive's sound is characterized by sparkling vocals, prominent piano leads and guitars that seem
to glide in from afar and never get up in your face. Lyrically, the band doesn't stray far from the
prototypical yearning professions of love.

Bridges is the type of effort that one would expect to attract attention from major labels looking
for the next marketable act, as their lustrous pop sound and syrupy, sentimental themes make
their music sound destined for TV and movie placements. The music all sounds a bit
homogeneous, but that never stopped a band from blowing up (see The Fray), so it wouldn't be
implausible to predict great success in Windsor Drive's future.

Recommended If You Like:
We Shot the Moon's Fear and Love
Melee's Devils and Angels
Copeland's Eat, Sleep, Repeat
Raining and OK's The Devil on Your Shoulder
Jack's Mannequin's The Glass Passenger
- Jeremy Aaron | Absolute Punk

The second EP, Bridges, from local indie darlings Windsor Drive (currently signed to Ping Pong Music) drops this Saturday at what promises to be a spectacular show. Luckily, Rocks Off managed to snag an advanced copy in electronic form so you readers can know just what to expect.

Produced by Stephen Short, who has worked with artists ranging from legends like Queen, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Paul McCartney to emerging artists like Augustana and This World Fair, Bridges calls to mind the soft, warm waters of indie-rock's bygone glory days. If anything, it reminds Rocks Off of the days when U2 was a real band, the calculated condescension still years from being present in Bono's voice.

Instead, what we have here is an incredibly poignant and sincere piece of rock and roll that is the perfect soundtrack for this imperfect world. Obviously drawing from all aspects of the FM dial, Windsor Drive seems to leave behind the empty commercialism that rattles like an empty can through the airwaves, and brings its own considerable substance to the modern radio form. What results is pop-art perfection.

By Jef With One F
- The Houston Press